FormerJames Bondactor Daniel Craig reflects on how he dealt with his newfound fame following the release ofCasino Royalein 2006. AfterDie Another Dayin 2002, Craig was chosen as Pierce Brosnan’s replacement, a decision that was initially met with a great deal of skepticism. Martin Campbell’sCasino Royalewas an undeniable hit critically and commercially, however, and Craig went on to play 007 four more times, bidding farewell to the franchise with the explosiveNo Time To Dieendingin 2021.
During a recent interview withThe New Yorker, Craig reflects on the period of his life immediately following the release ofCasino Royale.“I was really rocked by it,” Craig says, “Really rocked.” Craig recalls the pendulum swing from nobody thinking he was right for the part to everyone lovingCasino Royale, using the experience to speak more broadly about his loss of privacy and anonymity:
F-cking disaster. I don’t think I could have coped with it all [if I had been nineteen]. I think I would’ve fallen apart in all the obvious ways. Even at thirty-five or whatever, I dived into a really big, deep, dark hole. Went to Mexico City, did a lot of drugs. If only. No, I locked myself away and didn’t come out of my house and I felt paranoid. I mean, with good reason […]
Before the first movie, it was, like, He’s really terrible. After the first movie, it was, like, He’s really good. And then the interest in you is so overwhelming. You feel like you’ll never go out again. You’ll never be able to socialize again.
I think anybody who becomes famous who’s got half a heart, I think you kind of mourn your previous life. Don’t get me wrong. There’s lots of lovely things that go along with it, but the freedom that you had as a semi-anonymous human being has gone. And then you realize you’ve got to get on with life. You’ve just got to get on with it.
The conversation then turns to Craig’s departure from theBondfranchise and his subsequent projects, such as theKnives Outfranchise, in which he plays Southern detective Benoit Blanc, and Luca Guadagnino’sQueer. TheBondfranchise as a whole, Craig, explains, prevented him from taking on other roles. Check out his comment below:
In a way, what I would say is I was suddenly kind of free. When I first started doing Bond, I felt like I had to work in between doing Bond. And I found that at the end of the day I was just too exhausted. It’s two years out of your life and you go, Oh, go and do another project to freshen myself up. And all I found was I couldn’t put any energy into it. So with varying degrees of success, I kind of did these movies that were, like, O.K.
I then started chilling out a bit and just went, I’m good. I’ve got money. I don’t need to do anything. Take a break, have a family, do all the things that you need to do. And then, suddenly, I’m not doing Bond anymore, and someone like Rian Johnson comes to me and goes, “Do you want to do something now?” I laughed out loud when I read it, and I was, like, does he really want me to do it? And he went, “Yeah, I want you to do it.” I said, “You want me to do a Southern accent?” And he went, “Yep.”
What James Bond Meant For Daniel Craig’s Career
Craig’s Non-Bond Roles Explained
Prior toCasino Royale, Craig had been a working actor for more than a decade, but he had relatively few major movies under his belt, and fewer still as a leading man.Craig’s most notable moviesbefore hisBondtenure saw him mostly playing supporting roles, and these include the likes ofLara Croft: Tomb Raider(2001),Road To Perdition(2002), andMunich(2005). His most notable leading role was in Matthew Vaughn’sLayer Cake(2004).
2006
2008
2012
2015
No Time To Die
2021
Casino Royaleobviously changed the course of his career and made him a household name, but, as Craig himself suggests above, theBondfranchise did affect his non-007 career. Immediately afterCasino Royale, Craig appears inThe Golden Compass(2007) and a small film calledFlashbacks of a Fool(2008) before he’s right back into Bond withQuantum of Solace(2008). His other notable titles that occur betweenBondmovies includeDefiance(2008),The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo(2011), andLogan Lucky(2017).
Our Take On Daniel Craig’s Post-Bond Career
Craig’s Future Roles Could Be Far More Interesting
Craig was a fantastic Bond, andSkyfallandCasino Royalearen’t just highlights of his tenure as 007, but of the franchise as a whole. Despite the success and popularity of Craig’s time as Bond, it’s exciting that he’s now left the role behind him.The Girl with the Dragon Tattooremains a highlight of Craig’s career, and there could now be more roles like this on the horizon.
Queerreviewsmay be somewhat mixed, but Craig’s acting work in the film is outstanding. TheKnives Outfranchise, too, is beloved, andWake Up Dead Man, the third installment, is sure to be a viewership hit for Netflix. Even if not all of his upcoming movies are successful, however, it’s interesting to see this new phase of Craig’s career afterJames Bond, and it seems like some surprising movies and characters are probably on the horizon.
Source:The New Yorker
James Bond
The James Bond franchise follows the adventures of British secret agent 007 as he combats global threats. With a license to kill, Bond faces off against various villains and criminal organizations, employing high-tech gadgets, espionage, and charm. The series spans multiple films, featuring exotic locations, thrilling action sequences, and memorable characters. Bond’s mission to protect the world and uphold justice remains central, making the franchise an enduring icon in the spy genre.
